Abstract
BACKGROUND: Floral nectar (FN) contains not only energy-rich compounds to attract pollinators, but also defense chemicals and several proteins. However, proteomic analysis of FN has been hampered by the lack of publically available sequence information from nectar-producing plants. Here we used next-generation sequencing and advanced proteomics to profile FN proteins in the opportunistic outcrossing wild tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata. RESULTS: We constructed a transcriptome database of N. attenuata and characterized its nectar proteome using LC-MS/MS. The FN proteins of N. attenuata included nectarins, sugar-cleaving enzymes (glucosidase, galactosidase, and xylosidase), RNases, pathogen-related proteins, and lipid transfer proteins. Natural variation in FN proteins of eleven N. attenuata accessions revealed a negative relationship between the accumulation of two abundant proteins, nectarin1b and nectarin5. In addition, microarray analysis of nectary tissues revealed that protein accumulation in FN is not simply correlated with the accumulation of transcripts encoding FN proteins and identified a group of genes that were specifically expressed in the nectary. CONCLUSIONS: Natural variation of identified FN proteins in the ecological model plant N. attenuata suggests that nectar chemistry may have a complex function in plant-pollinator-microbe interactions.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
The authors constructed a N. attenuata transcriptome database and characterized its nectar proteome.
- Taxon
- N. attenuata
Nicotiana attenuatae0 - Outcome
- transcriptome databasee0
- Value
- LC-MS/MSe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We constructed a transcriptome database of N. attenuata and characterized its nectar proteome using LC-MS/MS.”
Claim · model-written summary
N. attenuata floral nectar contained nectarins, sugar-cleaving enzymes, RNases, pathogen-related proteins and lipid transfer proteins.
- Taxon
- N. attenuataNicotiana attenuatae0
- Organ / stage
- FNe0
- Outcome
- nectarins, sugar-cleaving enzymese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The FN proteins of N. attenuata included nectarins, sugar-cleaving enzymes (glucosidase, galactosidase, and xylosidase), RNases, pathogen-related proteins, and lipid transfer proteins.”
Claim · model-written summary
Across eleven N. attenuata accessions, nectarin1b and nectarin5 accumulation were negatively related.
- Taxon
- N. attenuataNicotiana attenuatae0
- Material
- eleven N. attenuata accessionse0
- Gene
- nectarin1b and nectarin5e0
- Outcome
- accumulation of two abundant proteinse0
- Direction
- negativee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Natural variation in FN proteins of eleven N. attenuata accessions revealed a negative relationship between the accumulation of two abundant proteins, nectarin1b and nectarin5.”
Claim · model-written summary
Floral nectar protein accumulation did not simply correlate with transcripts encoding those proteins.
- Taxon
- Nicotiana attenuataNicotiana attenuatae1
- Gene
- transcripts encoding FN proteinse0
- Outcome
- protein accumulation in FNe0
- Direction
- not simply correlatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“protein accumulation in FN is not simply correlated with the accumulation of transcripts encoding FN proteins”
e1“wild tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata”
Claim · model-written summary
Microarray analysis identified genes specifically expressed in nectary tissue.
- Taxon
- Nicotiana attenuataNicotiana attenuatae1
- Organ / stage
- nectarye0
- Gene
- a group of genese0
- Outcome
- specifically expressed in the nectarye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“identified a group of genes that were specifically expressed in the nectary”
e1“wild tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata”